The heavier bullet would be great for big game. The .44's probably all you'd need for whitetail.

Exactly what i was thinking. i hunt Muleys here and once every couple of years i make it up north to hunt hogs..

I use the 45-225gr FTX on targets and they start to expand just passing through a single layer of cardboard. I used a box one day to confirm my earlier results. I could see fragments hitting the back side of the box after the 45-225gr hit ONLY some card board. The second main hole in the box was also VERY large compared to any other bullet i shot through the same thin box.

They are super accurate for me even in my smokeless MLs but there is no way i would use them on anything bigger than a coyote if you push them over 1600fps.

If you want to shoot a light weight, try the Barnes 45LC-225gr XPB. They are absolutely deadly out to 150yards and you can push them as fast as you want. I shoot them well over 2300fps in a smokeless ML. They are devastating on deer size game and my media tests. Even if you could blow off all the copper petal, the base will still weight nearly 200grs. I know for sure because ive done it.

I also use the 458-325gr FTX and its awesome over a very wide range of velocity. You can push them as low as 1600fps with no worries about enough expansion on a typical distance. Longer range may require a bit more MV for best expansion. Ive pushed them into the 2300fps range and the performance is amazing considering the cost. They are the rage for many smokeless owners because they perform so well over a huge fps range and a pass through is very likely.

i sometimes hunt hogs using the Barnes 225 grain .430 XPB. It knocks the socks off big hogs. i'm sure it would be a very good deer killer.

I have looked at the .430 225 gr also.it has a lot better BC & SD, than it's .45 cal brother. a place called the general bullet sells this bullet which is all copper and almost identical to Barnes version for less money. you can also buy in quantities from them. at the moment there out of stock lol.

IMO those copper 225gr XPBs are terribly overlooked by the ML community. I would try the 44cal version but i never seem to get the accuracy i get from the 45cal versions. The BC of the 45-225 isnt that good and its why i said under 150 yards. They are longer than a conventional 250gr and that seems to help them reach out a little if you can gain a little more fps.

Expansion is excellent even at low fps and penetration is surprisingly good for a light weight. They are also usually cheaper than other copper options and are quite often on sale for about $16/20. So overall IMO its a great option and a reasonable price for a copper bullet for deer hunting.

I have never shot any .430 diameter bullets.a lot of other folks on this site do with outstanding results..so i thought i would try some lol.

I like the FTX bullets they are very accurate they are also not for light loaders, I cut several of them and checked them out the jacket is several thousands thicker and appears to be a stronger alloy the lead is a bit harder according to my lead tester while the Shock Wave and the SST appear to be pretty pure lead.
I have not check the 225 and as its main use is as a pistol bullet it may have a different construction. My testing indicates that 2000 FPS may be the best minimum for some of these FTX bullets in particular the 250 gr .451 it takes 120 grains of Blackhorn to get a trust worthy expansion at 25 yds with my gun.

I haven't torture tested too many or cross sectioned any of the common FTX line up. I have however shot quite a few of the 2 light weight .452s. The smallest 45-200gr FTX is made for 460S&W which is a screamer for a pistol round. Roughly 2300fps is quite possible and they are made for that velocity. Unfortunately i cant get the 45-200gr FTX to group very well in any ML. It is a tough bullet though compared to the 45-225gr version which is made for 45LC lever guns.

A few guys on Dougs have tried them also with similar results including on game. Reviews from 460S&W owners have also been fairly similar too in terms of terminal performance.

In a lever gun a 45-225gr FTX is moving no more than 1300fps in the Hornady ammo at best. Its very fragile compared to any of the others ive shot into a variety of media. We were shooting some for fun in 54x45 sabots with light loads of T7/BH209 for the kids. It seemed to handle the load "ok" with impacts at about 50-80 yards. I have no idea what the MV was but it could not have been too much in the little carbine.

In my NULA i shoot the 225gr FTX for fun because they vaporize water jugs and ive yet to recover more than just shrapnel. Granted mine are REALLY moving in the NULA. They are also highly effective on "varmints" if you don't care about pelt damage. They are cheap too in 100 packs instead of the normal FTX 50 packs. So...for me, that one is just a fun bullet with very few ML hunting applications. I wish they held up better because they are VERY accurate in several of my MLs and recoil is mild.

Leymone, if you like the FTXs, give the .458 325gr a try sometime. Use either the MMP Orange or the Harvester black crushrib. I use the MMP but the HBCR works well too in a loose bore. They work quite well with BH209 speeds.

builder459

Sure give them a try. They might shoot just fine for you. Several people have luck with .429s. I never had much luck with them and in smokeless MLs they almost never work. I own both so i stick with combos that work with a wider range of powders and velocities without blowing sabots.